New-Starter Onboarding Checklist
Cut ramp time from months to weeks. This is a two week structured onboarding path built from your SOP library, with an owner for every step.
What’s inside
New starter: ________ Role: ________ Start date: ________ Manager: ________ Buddy: ________
How to use it
Onboarding fails when tasks have no owner and knowledge lives in people’s heads. These four rules fix both.
Assign every checklist line an owner before the start date. A task with no named owner will not happen. “HR” or “the team” is not an owner.
Point each task at an SOP. If a task has no SOP to link, you have found a gap in your library. Onboarding is the best stress test your SOPs will ever get.
Book the 30, 60 and 90 day check-ins on day one. Put them in both calendars before the new starter leaves on their first day.
Log what confused the new starter, and fix the SOP that week. Every question they ask is a document you have not written yet. Use the confusion log at the end of this template.
Pro tip: Run this template once with your next hire, then review every “Owner” column with your leadership team. The lines nobody wanted to own tell you where your operations are thin.
Pre-arrival checklist
Complete every line before day one. A new starter who spends their first morning waiting for a login learns that your business is disorganised.
Access and accounts
| Done | Task | Owner | Due | SOP link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Create company email and calendar account | 5 days before start | |||
| Grant access to core systems (CRM, project management, shared drive) | 5 days before start | |||
| Set permissions by role, not by copying another employee | 5 days before start | |||
| Add to team chat channels and distribution lists | 3 days before start | |||
| Issue password manager invite and MFA setup instructions | 3 days before start | |||
| Confirm payroll, contract and right to work paperwork is complete | 5 days before start |
Tools and equipment
| Done | Task | Owner | Due | SOP link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Order and configure laptop, phone and peripherals | 7 days before start | |||
| Install required software and test logins | 2 days before start | |||
| Prepare desk or ship remote kit with tracking | 5 days before start | |||
| Share the SOP library link and reading order for their role | 2 days before start |
First week calendar
| Done | Task | Owner | Due | SOP link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book day one welcome with their manager (first hour) | 5 days before start | |||
| Book introductions with each team they will work with | 5 days before start | |||
| Assign a buddy and book a daily 15 minute buddy check-in for week one | 5 days before start | |||
| Book the 30, 60 and 90 day check-ins | Day one | |||
| Send a welcome email: start time, location or link, dress code, who to ask for | 3 days before start | |||
| Tell the team who is joining, their role and their start date | 3 days before start |
Day one to week two path
Each day has one objective. By the end of day ten, the new starter should complete their core tasks with an SOP open, not a colleague standing beside them.
Week one: understand the business and the role
| Day | Objective | Key tasks | Owner | SOP link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feel welcome and set up | Welcome meeting, systems check, meet buddy, read company overview | Manager | |
| 2 | Understand how the business makes money | Walk through services, clients and the customer journey | Manager | |
| 3 | Know who does what | Meet each team, read the org chart and role scorecard | Buddy | |
| 4 | See the core process in action | Shadow the main workflow for their role from start to finish | Buddy | |
| 5 | Review week one | 30 minute review: what is clear, what is confusing, update the confusion log | Manager |
Week two: do the work with support
| Day | Objective | Key tasks | Owner | SOP link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Complete a first task with guidance | Perform one core task while the buddy observes | Buddy | |
| 7 | Work independently on routine tasks | Complete two routine tasks alone, using the SOPs | New starter | |
| 8 | Learn the reporting rhythm | Attend team meetings, learn the KPIs and scorecard they own | Manager | |
| 9 | Handle an exception | Work through one non-standard case and document the steps taken | Buddy | |
| 10 | Agree the first 30 day goals | Review the two weeks, set three measurable 30 day goals, close out the confusion log | Manager |
Key takeaway: If the new starter cannot do a task with the SOP alone by day seven, the problem is usually the SOP, not the person.
SOP reading order per role type
Read in this order: company wide first, then the core process, then the role’s own tasks. Replace the example SOP names with the titles in your library.
Everyone, days one and two
Company overview, mission and values
How we work: communication, meetings and response times
Systems guide: where files, tasks and client records live
Security, data protection and password policy
Expenses, leave and HR policies
Role specific, days three to ten
| Role type | Read first | Read second | Read third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales and business development | Lead handling and qualification | Proposal and pricing process | CRM update rules |
| Operations and delivery | Client onboarding process | Project delivery workflow | Quality check and handover |
| Customer service and account management | Ticket and request handling | Escalation process | Client review and renewal |
| Finance and administration | Invoicing and payment collection | Month end close | Supplier and purchasing process |
| Team leaders and managers | Weekly meeting rhythm and scorecard | Hiring and onboarding process | Performance review process |
Pro tip: Ask the new starter to mark each SOP as “clear”, “unclear” or “out of date” as they read it. This turns their first two weeks into a free audit of your documentation.
30, 60 and 90 day check-in templates
Each check-in takes 45 minutes and has a different job. Day 30 checks fit, day 60 checks capability, and day 90 confirms the role.
30 day check-in: settling in
Date: ________ Attendees: ________
What has been easier than you expected? What has been harder?
Which tasks can you now do without asking anyone?
Where did you have to ask for help because an SOP was missing or unclear?
Do you have everything you need: access, tools, information?
How well do you understand what success looks like in your role?
What is one thing we could have done better in your first month?
Agreed actions: ________
60 day check-in: building capability
Date: ________ Attendees: ________
How are you tracking against the three goals set on day ten?
Which scorecard numbers do you own, and how are they trending?
What decisions are you making alone now that you were escalating at day 30?
Which process slows you down most, and how would you fix it?
How is the working relationship with your team and your buddy?
What training or support would help you most in the next 30 days?
Agreed actions: ________
90 day check-in: confirming the role
Date: ________ Attendees: ________
Looking back, are your role and responsibilities what you expected?
Which results are you most proud of so far?
Where do you want to grow in the next six months?
What would you change about how we onboard the next person in your role?
Manager assessment: is the role confirmed, extended or under review?
What are your goals for the next quarter?
Outcome: Confirmed / Extended / Under review
Next quarter goals: ________
Buddy system one-pager
A buddy is a peer, not a manager. Their job is to answer the questions a new starter feels awkward asking their boss.
Who makes a good buddy
Has been in the business at least six months
Works in the same or a closely linked team
Knows the SOPs well and follows them
Has time: around two hours a week in the first month
Is not the new starter’s line manager
What the buddy does
| Period | Commitment | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Week one | 15 minutes daily | Systems, people, where to find things |
| Week two | 15 minutes every other day | Observing first tasks, pointing to the right SOP |
| Weeks three and four | 30 minutes weekly | Unwritten rules, building confidence |
| Months two and three | Ad hoc | Open door for questions |
Buddy rules
Point to the SOP before giving the answer. This builds independence and tests the document.
Add every question you cannot answer from an SOP to the confusion log.
Never take over a task. Guide, then let the new starter do it.
Flag concerns to the manager early, but keep personal conversations confidential.
Give the manager one line of feedback before each check-in.
Buddy: ________ New starter: ________ Buddy period ends: ________
Confusion log
Record every point of confusion, then fix the SOP the same week. Review the log at the day five, day ten and 30 day check-ins.
| Date | What confused the new starter | SOP affected | Fix needed | SOP owner | Fixed by | Done |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Key takeaway: The confusion log is where onboarding pays for itself twice. The next new starter in the same role should ramp faster than this one, because every gap found here is already fixed.
Put this to work
The fastest way to apply it to your business: a free 60-minute Ops Diagnostic.
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